Welsh Water said: ‘Due to the thaw, we’re expecting some disruption to our services over the next few days.

‘We are working as quickly as is safely possible to resolve issues as they occur.’

The company also asked customers to make sure no taps were left running and for businesses to check their premises for any leaks.

United Utilities, which serves the north west, told customers: ‘As temperatures begin to climb following the cold snap, we are dealing with a number of issues due to the freeze and then thaw which may be affecting supplies in your area.’

The weather has caused an ‘unprecedented’ number of leaks (Picture: Twitter/Thames Water)